Street gangs refers to neighborhood or street-based groups that are united by mutual interest with an internal organization and leadership. They act collectively as a group or as individuals to achieve a specific purpose, which may include illegal activity and territorial control.
It should be noted that not all gang members are involved in criminal activities. Factors such as age, physique, aggressiveness, and history affect the individuals participation in the gang.
Sizes of current street gangs range from 5 to 10 with bigger gangs having several thousands. These big gangs usually break down into smaller sub groups which typically bring more territory to the main group as they expand and recruit new members. Most gangs operate informally with leadership falling to whoever takes control; others have distinct leadership and are highly structured, much like a business or corporation.
Remapping gang turf: Math model shows crimes cluster on borders between rivals
A mathematical model that has been used for more than 80 years to determine the hunting range of animals in the wild holds promise for mapping the territories of street gangs, a UCLA-led team of social scientists reports in a new study.
"The way gangs break up their neighborhoods into unique territories is a lot like the way lions or honey bees break up space," said lead author P. Jeffrey Brantingham, a professor of anthropology at UCLA.
Further, the research demonstrates that the most dangerous place to be in a neighborhood packed with gangs is not deep within the territory of a specific gang, as one might suppose, but on the border between two rival gangs. In fact, the highest concentration of conflict occurs within less than two blocks of gang boundaries, the researchers discovered.
The findings appear online in Criminology, a peer-reviewed scholarly journal published by the American Society of Criminology, the world's largest society of scholars conducting research on crime.
